Today in history: Thirteen years after the death of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigeria's 13th leader

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, was the third executive president of Nigeria (Moshood Kashimawo Abiola excluded) and the thirteenth since independent.

He hailed from a political family, being a Scion of Musa Yar'Adua, the Federal Minister of Lagos Affair in the First Republic and the family hails from Katsina State, North Western Nigeria.

His elder brother Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, who was the Chief of Staff, Supreme Military Council under ye administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo between 1986 and 1979.

Shehu who later became a politician was implicated in a coup d'etat against Genera Sani Abacha in 1995 and died in Abakaliki Prison in December, 1997.

Umaru was a two term governor of Katsina State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and on May 29, 2007 was sworn in as President of Nigeria, taking over from President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He publicly declared his assets and also publicly acknowledged that the electin that brought him to office was married with irregularities.

He also declared amnesty for Niger Delta militants who had made the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria where the oil wealth was based practically ungovernable.

He and his vice president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were known as the first duo to be university graduates to executively preside over Nigeria.

However, Yar'Adua's presidency was plagued with illness as he was often long away from Nigeria on medical trips.

This even promoted one of his minister's to declare that he could preside over Nigeria from anywhere in the world.

This so called "kitchen cabinet" was know as a powerful cabal that even prevented Goodluck Jonathan from being sworn in as acting president until, David Mark as Senate President had to invite the "Doctrine of Necessity".

This "Doctrine of Necessity" conferred in Vice President Jonathan the powers of acting president until Yar'Adua was snuggled into the country howbeit, very ill and under the cover of darkness on February 24, 2010.

He was known to have affected form a kidney heart conditions.

He is survived by his wife, Turai Yar'Adua and his aged mother.

According to Wikipedia, Yar'Adua died on 5 May, 2010 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa and an Islamic burial took place on 6 May, 2010 in his hometown in Katsina.







FI